It's a well-worn doctrine: Drinking alcohol, in any amount, is a sin. Ok, maybe it's not a doctrine, but it's a firm tenet! Well maybe it's not quite a tenet either, but it's certainly a Biblical belief! Maybe not exactly Biblical...Let me start over.

There are many people who believe Christians should not, under any circumstances, drink any alcohol. Personally, I find this a difficult position to defend since, after all, Jesus' first miracle was tending bar at a wedding. So for me, it's difficult to reconcile how a God who has supposedly decreed a thing is a sin would then partake in and provide others with that thing.

Drunkenness is another thing altogether. It is a sin and that is pretty clearly communicated all over Scripture. Use of a thing created by God isn't a bad thing; abuse of that same thing certainly is. Essentially, we can say that God gives wine "to gladden the heart of man" (Psalm 104:15) but that we must "not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery" (Eph 5:18). There is no contradiction here. Wine is intended to "gladden" our hearts, the exact definition of which can be debated elsewhere, and yet we are not to abuse this good gift to the point of drunkenness or abuse. That much, at least, is clear.

Paul's direction in Ephesians above is specific to wine, but no one would then say it is then, acceptable to drink beer or hard liquor to such excesses as drunkenness. This is because we recognize that Paul was concerned more with the state of drunkenness and sober-mindedness than the particular beverage used to reach that state.

Alcohol, like other drugs, is a good thing, created by God for a good purpose. What’s happened, is people have used these drugs for purposes other than what it was created for. We can substitute alcohol for other mind-altering drugs and come to the same conclusion. My favourite drug to pick on at this point is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world: caffeine.

Everyone's favourite mind-altering drug certainly has less potential for harm if abused; nobody is disputing that. Paul, however, doesn't seem to care as much about the real-world consequences as he does about the spiritual ones. Abuse of a substance, ie: using it for a purpose outside that which God intended is, at its core, idolatry.

Seeking escape at the bottom of a bottle, or "needing" that first cup of coffee to get going in the morning is indicative of the same heart-issue: idolatry. If we use the simplest definition of idolatry: worship of anything more/other than God, then it's not a stretch at all to see how we can get there from the 'need' for coffee or a drink.

Comfort food is idolatry too! It's all the same. Finding comfort in a created thing rather than the creator is the definition of idolatry. Let's be really honest about this. There is one place that we, as Christians should be going for comfort in times of stress and hardship. Spoiler Alert: It’s God! (Psalm 121: 1-2 for the record.)

Now, I am not saying that it is never acceptable to eat or drink in response to circumstances. After all, scripture also teaches us to "drink and forget [our] poverty and remember [our] misery no more" (Proverbs 31:7). Additionally, there's the story of that wedding in Cana which we shouldn't neglect. There is a time and place for alcohol, there is a time and place for food, there is a time and place for caffeine, and there is a time and place for other mind-altering substances (Morphine anyone?) They are all parts of God's good creation that can be used for worshipful purposes or for idolatrous ones. Yes, alcohol abuse is far more societally damaging than caffeine addiction, no doubt. But you can't deny that regardless of the damage to your body or society, running to a created thing (food) rather than the creator of that thing for comfort can have the most dire of spiritual consequences.

As a Biblical conservative, a cultural Liberal, a husband, a dad, and a pastor, I want to see the church act differently in the world. My big passion in ministry is to see how believers can bring the Gospel into the world around them while pursuing the lost art of winsomeness. It is what fuels me and drives me to write. Engaging culture with the truth of the Gospel in a way that is winsome, wise, and as Colossians 4:6 directs us: “seasoned with salt.” It’s my hope that what I say here helps you not only in your own faith, but helps you share it more effectively and fruitfully.

Like many of you, I watched my newsfeed explode last week with reports of the shooting in Las Vegas. I watched along with many of you as the casualties piled up and throughout last week as more and more facts of what happened trickled in.

The same refrain started again.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out..." to the victims, to their families, to the shooter's family, to our leaders. It's the same old song and dance, isn't it? It's such a predictable response that people predictably make jokes about how predictable the response is.

Personally, I think the time for praying is over.

Not that we should stop asking the Lord to bring comfort to the afflicted and justice to the guilty! We should keep on asking God to give wisdom to our leaders and our neighbours' leaders. But these requests ought not take the form of a prayer.

I pray for my meal. I pray my kids have a good night's sleep. I pray for good weather, and occasionally I'll pray for rain. This is beyond all of that, this calls for a cry to the Lord.

In the Old Testament, Israel cried out to God when things were completely a mess. When there was no hope and they were in need of rescue, of redemption.

They cried out when they were in bondage in Egypt, and God sent Moses.

They cried out when they were enslaved by the Canaanites, and He rescued them.

They cried out when they were carried away by the Midianites, and He rescued them.

They cried out when they were under the tyranny of the Philistines, and He rescued them.

They cried out when they were exiled by the Babylonians, and He rescued them.

Ultimately, Jesus Himself cried out on the cross and became our ultimate rescuer.

We are no longer in Old Testament Israel. We are no longer under the Law in the same way. None of that means we are above the idea of "crying out" to the creator when all hope seems lost. Perhaps the time has come to echo the cries of the prophet Habakkuk: "O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong?" (Habakkuk 1:2-3)

There is a day coming, and I can't wait, when the rescuer will return. When true justice will ring out like some kind of trumpet and we will see real restoration and real, lasting peace. So don't pray for that day, cry out for it. Cry out for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Cry out to the Lord for justice. Cry out for Jesus to come back and finally finish the work of reconciliation.

As a Biblical conservative, a cultural Liberal, a husband, a dad, and a pastor, I want to see the church act differently in the world. My big passion in ministry is to see how believers can bring the Gospel into the world around them while pursuing the lost art of winsomeness. It is what fuels me and drives me to write. Engaging culture with the truth of the Gospel in a way that is winsome, wise, and as Colossians 4:6 directs us: “seasoned with salt.” It’s my hope that what I say here helps you not only in your own faith, but helps you share it more effectively and fruitfully.

When it comes to beliefs and worldviews, some people haven’t struggled with doubt. Others are at least honest with themselves. I’m not one for blind faith; I’ve always had a little of the skeptic and the cynic in me. I don’t mean to say that faith has no basis, rather that faith can look at the tough questions of life for what they are and eventually come to the conclusion that the most reasonable answer to any of these questions is found in God. Is faith that never thinks, but only believes what it is told, really the kind of faith God wants us to have?

I’m not saying that being in a constant state of doubt is healthy, but in my case, doubt meant that I was coming to grips with what the Christian faith actually is to me. Doubt isn’t supposed to be the end of the journey, but it can be a defining point—or many points--along the way. Since my early teens, you name it and I’ve questioned or rejected it at some point along the way; the Bible’s accuracy, God’s goodness, his plan for us, and even God’s existence. Sometimes it’s taken me to some pretty dark and , futile places where I questioned things just for the sake of questioning. But each time I’ve come back around to the conclusion that nothing else explains life as well as God and His Word do.

(By the way, when I speak of it as in the past, I don’t think that means I will never have doubts about my faith ever again. I’m just telling my story.)

I’ve known some church people who think that if they were Peter in the story about walking on water, that their faith wouldn’t have failed; that fear and doubt wouldn’t have taken over. In some Christian circles, people don’t know how to be gracious to people who doubt, because apparently admitting a current struggle means that you think that what you’re struggling against is not wrong. Except that it doesn’t.

There have been times when I’ve been a “wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind,” (James 1:6) and I’ve been like Peter, sinking in the raging seas and, about to drown. When you’re there, the people who think that they could have walked on water are in fact stepping all over you, pushing you even further underwater. Jesus didn’t kick Peter down below the surface because he had failed- he pulled Peter out. Graciously discussing and answering questions is not the same as getting defensive or shaming the one who is doubting. One can be a hand reaching out to save, while the other can be a boot to kick them while they’re down.

And isn’t it true that being told, “Be quiet and believe it already!” gives the impression that there aren’t good reasons to ask questions or that it’s all made up? By blindly insisting on the credibility of Christianity, we undermine it.

Fortunately for me, encouragement has taken unlikely forms. One of my favorite Biblical characters is Thomas (yes, “Doubting Thomas,” the same one who is a close second to Judas in the“Worst Disciple Ranking”). But Thomas’ story is so encouraging to me as a recovering doubter. He was naturally skeptical that a dead person could come back to life (as I would have been), and Jesus met him right at the point of his doubt. Jesus did not shame Thomas for doubting, but gently and indisputably proved Himself to be alive.

There are too many other examples in the Bible about ‘heroes of the faith’ who had times of doubting or questioning God to discuss each of them, but Moses, Abraham, David and many of the prophets are in that category. God’s people who doubt are still God’s people, and there is no second tier for those with certain struggles. All who have been washed by the blood of the Lamb are forgiven, no matter what came before or comes after.

In the end, it’s okay to admit if you’re having doubts. All of us have been there at some point, even if we claim that we haven’t. We need to do away with pretending we’re fine when we’re not. The only way that can happen is for us to be honest about our doubts and change our response from judgement to grace when we see others struggling with doubt.

​Caleb Moser is a husband and father of two girls, and has over seven years of experience working with adults with disabilities. His passion is writing about family, parenting, faith and social issues in a sane, measured way.

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A website & community that is all about healthy and helpful dialogue in a world full of conflict & disagreement. To be able to speak with confidence, while still being open to be challenged--CONFIDENCE NOT CERTAINTY